Scandinavian 20th-century glass

Over the past few decades, mid 20th-century Scandinavianglass has become increasingly collectable and valuable. Brightly coloured, mould-blown pieces are still fetching low sums because so many were produced, but the best handmade pieces by known designers can be worth thousands of pounds.

Nanny Still for Riihimäen Lasi Oy

During the 1930s, Scandinavian designers strove to produce glass that had a handcrafted quality despite being mass produced and affordable. The success of this initiative led to a boom in glass design, production and export, which, in turn, led to Scandinavian style becoming increasingly influental. Across the world the organically shaped, thick-walled, clear-cased pieces created in Scandinavia were imitated and adapted by a host of factories and designers.

Antique glass decoration techniques

Many techniques may be applied to glass objects to produce different types of decoration, both internal and external. We will mention here some principal types of decorations.

Internal decoration

Cased. When one layer of glass is applied over another, or when three or more layers are fused together and then outer layer or layers cut away (cameo).

Acid cut cameo glass vase

Simple coloured tint. The glass is mixed with a metallic oxide while still in powder form.

Latticinio. Clear glass embedded with white glass threads giving the appearance of spiral fluting. The threads are woven into the semi-molten metal.

Lithyalin. Opaque glass which shows visible striations of various colours and, when polished, gives the appearance of agate.

Whitefriars glassware

In 1720, a glasshouse was established on part of the site of the former medieval 'White Friars' monastery, situated south of Fleet Street. In 1823. the glasshouse was bought by successful wine merchant John Powell. The firm's name was changed to Powell & Sons (Whitefriars) Ltd only in 1919, four years before the firm relocated from the City to a new site at Wealdstone, Harrow, in 1923.

The new furnaces were lit using the flame from one of the old works furnaces. The flame had been carefully carried across London in a brazier. The company also had showrooms on Wigmore Street, and this attracted customers from both the domestic and window glass markets.
In spite of there long tradition of producing very fine art glass, the Whitefriars Glassworks is best known for its industrial art glass, which was made from the 1920's onwards and after Harry Powell had retired.

Designer: Gabriel Argy-Rousseau

Joseph-Gabriel Rousseau was born in a small village outside of Chartres to a farming family, Rousseau became interested in drawing at a very early age. He was also intensely interested in physics and chemistry, first attending Ecole Breguet, and in 1902 Ecole de Sèvres, where he meet the son of pâte-de-verre pioneer Henri Cros.

Following his graduation in 1906 Rousseau took the title of “engineer-ceramist” and worked in a research laboratory developing dental porcelain before devoting his focus exclusively to the art of pâte-de-verre. In 1913 he married Marianne Argyriadès, a highly cultured woman of Greek descent who fueled Rousseau’s interest in Greek and Classical art. After his marriage Rousseau added the first four letters of his wife’s maiden name “a-r-g-y” in homage to her cultural, emotional, and domestic support, signing his name “Argy-Rousseau” for the remainder of his artistic career.
In 1921 Argy-Rousseau met gallery and glass works owner Gustave Moser-Millot and established the Société Anonyme des Pâtes de Verre d’Argy-Rousseau. The firm developed their pâte-de-verre technique for 6 months, built extensive new workshops and furnaces, trained 20 workers, and in 1923 began producing regular commissioned work.

The care of antique glass

The most usual problem related to the use of period glass is staining of decanters. Stains are of two kinds. If dark, it should be possible to remove them by manipulation of a good bottle brush (perhaps with a tuft at the tip) fed well with warm water and perhaps a little proprietary cleaner such as Cif or Astonish. However this may reveal the presence of a milky stain which is caused by acids in wines and by leaving decanters wet. In this case the decanter needs professional buffing. It is thus imperative that decanters should be dried after use.

Minor chips on wineglasses can be eliminated but only by reduction of the glass; so this practice is restricted to glasses of comparatively low value. Chips on important period glasses can normally be filled with a colourless resin which renders the damage inconspicuous. Again, professional help is required via a specialist dealer.

As to washing: virtually all glass should be washed in water as hot as the hand will stand with the addition of a little detergent such as Fairy Liquid. Rinse in water of the same temperature and dry with lint-free cotton cloth (such as cotton sheeting) while the glass is hot. The heat of the glass will do most of the drying.

The object of the day: French Art Nouveau ceramic vase

A French Art Nouveau ceramic vase by A. Debain, featuring a muted blue, red and yellow glaze, seated in a silver holder.

Artist:

French silversmith Alphonse Debain (1883-1911)

Circa: 1900

Dimensions: 9 1/2 inch high